16 Home Remedies For Instant Relief From Stomach Aches

No matter what type of stomach ache or abdominal pain you have, from nausea and heartburn to irritable bowel syndrome and everything in between, oftentimes, a natural home remedy will bring relief from the discomfort that’s making you miserable.

Don’t continue to suffer needlessly, try one of these tried-and-true options to feel well again instead.

1. Rooibos Tea

The digestive system is particularly susceptible to a wide array of issues that are made worse due to a diet of processed foods, and many people who consume a standard Western diet suffer from a variety of digestive illnesses that aren’t even heard of in other parts of the world that eat more healthy, whole foods. But thanks to the high level of flavonoids in rooibos tea, including the especially powerful quercetin, sipping it helps to support a healthier digestive system that can ease that stomach discomfort. The tea is known to aid in relieving diarrhea and cramps, fight off nausea, stomach upset and indigestion, in addition to reducing inflammation. If your baby is suffering from colic, as the tea contains no caffeine whatsoever, it’s safe for them to consume and highly effective thanks to multiple compounds that provide antispasmodic properties for relieving those painful symptoms.

2. Baking Soda Tonic

Baking soda has such a long list of uses, it can do just about everything, including relieving stomach upset, one of the things it’s most famous for. Sodium bicarbonate, as it’s officially known, offers potentantacid properties that help to relieve indigestion, as well as problems like acid reflux, heartburn, and symptoms common to peptic ulcer disease. Acidity tends to interfere with the normal digestive process as the overproduction of stomach acids that results from spicy foods, alcohol, eating too much, stress and other factors causing the acids to go back into the esophagus, resulting in acid reflux that causes heartburn. If this happens frequently, it may even permanently damage the walls of the esophagus, or worse, lead to cancer. Acidity is often accompanied by other issues such as nausea, indigestion, bloating, or vomiting, but if you consume a baking soda tonic on a regular basis, it helps to neutralize the effects of acid to support better digestion.

The only ingredients you need for a baking soda tonic is an eight-ounce glass of water and a teaspoon of baking soda. Dissolve the baking soda in water and drink whenever you’re suffering from any digestive problem, including heartburn and acid reflux.

3. Ginger Tea

Ginger is famous for its soothing effects on the digestive system. It’s shown to provide gastroprotective properties that help it to block acid and suppress helicobacter pylori, a bacteria found in the stomach. A2007 studyout of the Department of Biochemistry and Nutrition at the Central Food Technological Research Institute in Karnataka, India, showed that it’s even more effective than the prescription drug lansoprazole, a prescription medication for preventing ulcers.

To make ginger tea, pour two cups of boiling water over a few slices of peeled ginger root and allow it to steep for about 10 minutes. Ideally, you should drink it about 20 minutes before every meal as a preventative, but it can help if you’ve already developed a stomach ache.

4. Papaya

If you tend to get bloated easily and burp a lot, start eating papaya. Consuming organic papaya not only provides a number of outstanding health benefits, it’s great for eliminating burping and bloat as it contains an enzyme called papain that aids digestion, preventing gas from forming in the stomach.

5. Peppermint Leaves

Peppermint leaves contain menthol and are great for making a tea to soothe the digestive tract. Sipping peppermint tea is well-known to be a highly effective remedy for easing digestive distress. The herb helps to soothe stomach and intestinal contractions and prevent digestive muscles from tensing erratically, which are often the cause of nausea and stomach pain. Sucking on a peppermint candy or chewing the leaves can help too, especially for alleviating feelings of nausea.

6. Apple Cider Vinegar

Apple cider vinegar or ACV, is surprisingly quite effective for treating a wide range of digestive woes as it has the ability to stimulate the release of digestive juices that help the body break down food. It can help ease bloating, gas, indigestion, and heartburn. Drinking a teaspoon of ACV mixed into a glass of water can quickly bring relief from heartburn, as it helps to increase low stomach acid levels, which experts believe can lead to the problem. ACV also contains a number of important, healthy acids. Acetic, isobutyric, lactic and propionic acid are known to improve digestion by controlling the growth of unwanted yeast and bacteria in the stomach and throughout the body.

7. Caraway Seeds

Caraway seeds are an ancient remedy used to treat digestive troubles for centuries. They’re not only jam-packed with vitamins and minerals that inhibit the growth of bad bacteria that causes indigestion, gas or bloating and contributes to an upset stomach, but they’re an outstanding source of dietary fiber. Getting enough fiber is essential for proper digestive functioning. It can help resolve all sorts of stomach issues, including constipation, diarrhea, bloating and indigestion. Fiber also adds bulk to foods that make it easier to pass through the digestive tract and can help those who suffer from chronic problems like IBS.

8. Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea is ideal not only for soothing a stomach ache, but it’s great for calming the nerves. And, a nervous stomach can also lead to stomach pains, creating a vicious cycle. If a stomach ache is keeping you up at night, sipping chamomile tea may be the ideal solution as it’s known for its ability to help one relax which can make it easier to fall asleep and stay asleep. Add a squeeze of lemon for flavor and an added boost of healing. You can make your own tea from dried chamomile flowers, typically sold in herbal shops and in health food stores, or from this page on Amazon.

9. A Lemon & Ginger Shot

Drinking a shot of lemon and ginger helps to support overall health and also helps soothe a number of ailments. If you’re suffering from the stomach flu, ginger helps because it contains antibacterial and antiviral properties that can aid in fighting off a virus, while its analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties work to ease pain, irritation and discomfort caused by the flu. As mentioned previously, ginger is great for relieving nausea too. Lemon juice provides many important benefits. It contains a high amount of vitamin C to support healthy immune functioning and improves digestion to help battle those stomach troubles too. Combining lemon and ginger creates one of nature’s best treatments fighting the flu and tummy woes.

All you need to make this “shot” is a half a lemon and a large knob of ginger root. Peel the ginger first and then juice it in a juicer. Squeeze the lemon by hand or with a citrus press, and then blend the juices together. Drink it like a shot rather than sipping.

10. Activated Charcoal

You may have heard that eating burnt toast can help settle an upset stomach, and while that’s true, it’s not the best option as it contains harmful carcinogens. Instead, take activated charcoal and it will calm your stomach in minutes. It helps to absorb bad bacteria and microbes that can cause stomach issues among other incredible benefits.

11. Fennel

Fennel is a common ingredient in teas that are designed to ease stomach issues as it helps to stimulate digestion, reduce gas and bloating while soothing stomach pain. It tastes a bit like licorice, so if you like that flavor, you’ll probably like fennel. The raw bulbs can be found at most health food stores, and all you have to do is slice off a piece and chew. Another option is to steep fennel seeds in hot water to make fennel tea.

Fennel seeds have traditionally been used as food and medicine in Chinese, Indian, Egyptian and Greek cultures for centuries. Traditional Chinese medicine herbal formulas, for example, contain fennel seeds to help treat gastroenteritis, hernias, and indigestion. The seeds have most commonly been used to treat all sorts of gastrointestinal issues, but especially for infants with colic or gas. Modern studies that have focused solely on fennel for digestive problems in humans are limited, but the compounds in fennel are well-known to be beneficial to the digestive system as a whole. One study, however, reported in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicinein 2003, demonstrated that infants who were given fennel seed oil experienced a significant reduction in colic symptoms when compared to placebo.

12. Rice Tea

If you’re suffering from diarrhea, or have stomach upset, making a rice “tea” can help resolve it. To make it, simply boil a half-cup of rice in six cups of water for 15 minutes. Strain out the rice, add some flavor to the rice water, like a little bit of raw honey, and sip it while it’s still warm.

13. Practice Yoga

Food and drink aren’t the only things that can help, you may also find relief through yoga poses. A number of yoga poses have been designed specifically to help stimulate digestion and ease bloating, to help relieve the misery. One of the best for quick relief is the knees-to-stomach pose in which you’ll lie down on your back, on a comfortable spot, and then draw your knees up to your chest. Wrap your arms around your shins, making sure that your back stays flat on the floor. Hold the pose for one minute, and then release it. Repeat as many times as you’d like, until you start feeling better.

14. Heat

Using a hot water bottle or heating pad can help too. The heat alone is not only soothing, but that warmth in your abdominal area can help distract you from the pain and discomfort. It also works to reduce nausea and relax your muscles to ease tension which can bring relief as well.

15. Aloe Vera Juice

Many people have found relief through aloe vera juice for soothing a variety of intestinal issues. Many health food stores carry it, and most people will get great results when it comes to treating bloating, cramps, gas, diarrhea and so much more.

16. Reflexology

Laura Norman, a reflexology practitioner and the author of Feet First: A Guide to Food Reflexology, swears by reflexology for relieving all sorts of health issues, including stomach aches and other digestive problems. She explains, “There are thousands of nerves in the feet and hands that, when specific techniques are applied, can cause the entire body to relax and feel calmer.”

The abdominal area corresponds with the center arch of the left foot. Using a reflexology technique, you’ll hold your left foot with the palm of your right hand, and then place your left hand under the ball of your foot. Apply a steady, even pressure with your thumb, and use a forward motion, pressing one spot and moving a little forward, to go across the foot.

Switch your hands and repeat from right to left, using the thumb of your right hand and continuing until you cover the center of the arch.

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